2.
Summary of Findings
Reputation management has now become a defining feature of online life for many internet users, espe-
cially the young. While some internet users are careful to project themselves online in a way that suits
specific audiences, other internet users embrace an open approach to sharing information about them-
selves and do not take steps to restrict what they share. Search engines and social media sites play a
central role in building one’s reputation online, and many users are learning and refining their approach
as they go--changing privacy settings on profiles, customizing who can see certain updates and deleting
unwanted information about them that appears online.
Over time, several major trends have indicated growth in activities related to online reputation manage-
ment:
• Online reputation-monitoring via search engines has increased – 57% of adult internet users now use
search engines to find information about themselves online, up from 47% in 2006.
• Activities tied to maintaining an online identity have grown as people post information on profiles
and other virtual spaces – 46% of online adults have created their own profile on a social networking
site, up from just 20% in 2006.
• Monitoring the digital footprints of others has also become much more common—46% of internet
users search online to find information about people from their past, up from 36% in 2006. Likewise,
38%% have sought information about their friends, up from 26% in 2006.
Young adults are the most active online reputation managers in several dimensions. When compared
with older users, they more often customize what they share and whom they share it with.
Those ages 18-29 are more likely than older adults to say:
• They take steps to limit the amount of personal information available about them online—44% of
young adult internet users say this, compared with 33% of internet users between ages 30-49, 25%
of those ages 50-64 and 20% of those ages 65 and older.
• They change privacy settings - 71% of social networking users ages 18-29 have changed the privacy
settings on their profile to limit what they share with others online. By comparison, just 55% of SNS
users ages 50-64 have changed the default settings.
• They delete unwanted comments - 47% social networking users ages 18-29 have deleted comments
that others have made on their profile, compared with just 29% of those ages 30-49 and 26% of
those ages 50-64.
• They remove their name from photos - 41% of social networking users ages 18-29 say they have
removed their name from photos that were tagged to identify them, compared with just 24% of SNS
users ages 30-49 and only 18% of those ages 50-64.
Compared with older users, young adults are not only the most attentive to customizing their privacy
settings and limiting what they share via their profiles, but they are also generally less trusting of the
sites that host their content. When asked how much of the time they think they can trust social network-
ing sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, 28% of SNS users ages 18-29 say “never.” By comparison,
a smaller segment of older users express such cautious views; 19% of SNS users ages 30-49 and 14% of
those ages 50-64 say they never trust the sites.
The increased prevalence of self-monitoring and observation of others creates a dynamic environment
where people promote themselves or shroud themselves depending on their intended audience and cir-
page 2

3.
cumstances. There are good reasons to be more vigilant. Online reputation matters; 44% of online adults
have searched for information about someone whose services or advice they seek in a professional
capacity. People are now more likely to work for an employer that has policies about how they present
themselves online and co-workers and business competitors now keep closer tabs on one another. Those
who are dating are more likely to research their potential mates online. And even neighbors have be-
come more curious about finding information about one another online. Yet, even those who are careful
about their own disclosures have to stay on top of the identifying material that others may have posted
about them on social networking profiles, photo- and video-sharing sites, Twitter, and blogs.
• 27% of employed internet users now work for an employer that has policies about how they present
themselves online—such as what they can post on blogs and websites or what information they can
share about themselves. That compares to 22% in 2006.
• 31% of employed internet users have searched online for information about co-workers, professional
colleagues or business competitors, up from 23% in 2006.
• 16% of all internet users have looked online for more information about someone they were dat-
ing or in a relationship with, up from 9% in 2006. Among those who use online dating sites, 34% go
online to check up on their dates.
Social networking users are especially attuned to the intricacies of online reputation management. Two-
thirds now say that they have changed the privacy settings for their profile to restrict what they share
with others online. Most have also chosen to prune certain friends from their networks when they be-
come too large or contacts fall out of favor, and many actively “revise” the information that others post
about them.
• 65% of adult social networking users have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what
they share with others online.
• 56% have “unfriended” contacts in their network--deleting people from their friends list—and 52%
have kept some people from seeing certain updates.
• 36% have deleted comments that others have made on their profile, and 30% have removed their
name from photos that were tagged to identify them.
Many are finding that sharing a certain amount of information online has clear benefits:
• Internet users are now twice as likely to be found by friends from the past-- 40% of internet users say
they have been contacted by someone from their past who found them online, up from 20% who
reported the same in 2006.
• Half of online adults (48%) agree that getting to know new people now is easier and more meaning-
ful because you can learn things online about the people you meet.
Others are required to share information about themselves online as part of their profession:
• 12% of employed adults say they need to market themselves online as part of their job. While 15%
of employed men say they have a job that requires them to self-promote online, just 7% of em-
ployed women say this.
And whether they are actively trying to get recognized or fly under the radar, most internet users report
some level of “privacy through obscurity” – there is information about them online, but it takes some
digging to find.
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4.
• When self-searchers query their name using a search engine, the majority (63%) say they find at
least some relevant material connected to their name. But 35% of self-searchers say their queries do
not yield any relevant results.
• Just 31% of self-searchers say that most of the results on the critical first page are actually about
them, while 62% say the first page of results is mostly about someone else with a name very similar
or identical to theirs.
Stories of reputational mishaps abound and persist online—particularly among celebrities, politicians
and other prominent figures. Yet, relatively few among the internet masses have had bad experiences
due to undesirable information being circulated about them online.
• 4% of online adults say they have personally had bad experiences because embarrassing or inaccu-
rate information was posted about them online, a number that is unchanged since 2006.
• 8% have requested that someone remove information about them that was posted online, including
things like photos or videos. The vast majority (82%) say they are usually successful at getting that
content taken down.
Over time, internet users have actually become less concerned about the amount of information avail-
able about them online—just 33% of internet users say they worry about how much information is avail-
able about them online, down from 40% in December 2006. However, most of this decrease is attribut-
able to those who have never used a search engine to check up on their digital footprints. Those who do
monitor their search results are more likely than non-searchers to express concern (37% vs. 27%).
page 4

5.
Introduction
Managing an online identity has become a multimedia affair. Not only can internet searchers type in que-
ries about someone who has aroused their curiosity, they also can seek pictures, videos, and real-time
status updates online. Location-based awareness in mobile devices adds another layer of information
that can be searched. Avid users of mobile devices may voluntarily reveal their identity and location to
certain websites, thereby allowing almost anyone to learn their whereabouts. Surveillance, even the
most benign kind, has moved out of the realm of private investigators and into the hands of the general
public.
Much has changed since our 2007 Digital Footprints report. At the time, the idea of the then-new facial
recognition technology being touted by photo search services like Polar Rose seemed radical. Today,
facial recognition technology is standard in many new digital cameras, and applications like Polar Rose
are soon going to be fused with the cameras and internet connections on users’ phones. Google Goggles,
a service that lets you use pictures taken with your mobile device to search the Web, doesn’t offer facial
recognition for now, but the underlying capability is there.1 As with any major technological advance,
there are great potential benefits and risks associated with how these tools ultimately get used. See
someone at a conference that you recognize but can’t remember his name? Aim your camera at him
and instantly pull up the search results connected with his image online. Having a drink at a bar? Would
you mind if another patron who took a liking to you could snap a picture and look you up? Planning on
attending a political protest? Would you reconsider if you knew you could instantly be identified by the
counter-protesters?
Even those who choose to be relatively conservative with the information they share on the internet—
favoring usernames in lieu of real names when posting comments or creating an online profile—are
becoming easier and easier to identify. According to one prominent study from the field of re-identifica-
tion research, the vast majority of Americans (87%) can be identified with only three pieces of informa-
tion: gender, zip code and date of birth.2 Given that this information is easily gleaned from many online
profiles created for popular sites like Facebook, users may be more exposed than they realize. Other new
studies have shown that seemingly anonymous profiles that express unique preferences—such as movie
lists on Netflix—can be used to identify users.
Recent changes in the default settings associated with Facebook and the launch of Google Buzz have
prompted a heated public discussion about whether or not the public cares about “privacy” at all.3 But
as prominent legal scholars and social media experts have repeatedly argued, a user’s sensitivity to spe-
cific privacy concerns is highly dependent on context and is often oversimplified.4 For instance, a user
of a social networking site may not care if friends and family know that she is a fan of a certain politi-
1 Google has publicly stated that they have made a deliberate decision to withhold facial recognition features from the
public version of Google Goggles for now, but prominent technology experts like Tim O’Reilly have had “full versions” of the
Google Nexus One phone demonstrated to them, showing the ability of the phone’s camera to detect and accurately identify an
individual. See: http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/01/the-nexus-one-vs-iphone.html
2 See “Computational Disclosure Control,” by Latanya Sweeney. Available at: http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/class-
es/6.805/articles/privacy/sweeney-thesis-draft.pdf
3 For instance, see: “Beyond Google and Evil: How Policy Makers, Journalists and Consumers Should Talk Differ-
ently About Google and Privacy” by Chris Hoofnagle (http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/
view/2326/2156)
4 For example, see: Understanding Privacy by Dan Solove (http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.
php?isbn=9780674035072) and “Making Sense of Privacy and Publicity” by danah boyd (http://www.danah.org/papers/
talks/2010/SXSW2010.html).
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6.
cal candidate on Facebook, but she may prefer not to broadcast those preferences to her employer or
neighbors.
One of the interesting tensions inherent in the realm of online reputation management is that users
want to have a sense of control over their information, but they sometimes take the path of least resis-
tance when making choices about how they manage their profiles and other content connected to their
name online. Whether that means accepting the default privacy settings of an application or skipping
over the fine print in a “terms of service” agreement, decisions about how one’s identity is communicat-
ed to the world can be made in haste and under the assumption that everyone experiences some level
of “privacy through obscurity.”
Popular media coverage of young adults and technology use has often suggested that younger genera-
tions have little regard for practicing discretion when sharing information online.5 However, the findings
in this report suggest that, when compared with older users, young adults are more active online reputa-
tion managers in several dimensions. When compared with older users, they more often customize what
they share and limit whom they share it with. Other recent research has also disputed the notion that
young adults and even teenagers simply “don’t care” about privacy.6
Personal information has become a form of currency that is shared and exchanged in the social market-
place today. Yet, while the management of users’ online identities has arguably become more complex
and multi-faceted over time, internet users have become less likely to worry about the amount of infor-
mation available about them online.
However, it is important to note that the results from this survey do not indicate that internet users care
any less about retaining control over their personal information online. Many people simply are not
aware of what is actually available about them; the overall drop in those who say they worry is primarily
among those who have never used a search engine to look up their own names online. Likewise, a gener-
al lack of concern about the amount of information connected to one’s name online does not preclude a
user from having a wide range of specific concerns about how that information might be used—whether
those worries relate to the security of financial information, advertisers’ access to personal information
shared on a social networking site, or government surveillance of online activities. For example, recent
research has suggested that the majority of American adults do not want internet marketers to tailor
advertising to their interests—particularly when that involves online data collection and monitoring.7
While online advertising plays an increasingly influential role in the way that internet users’ informa-
tion is gathered, stored and sold, this survey did not address specific concerns about data collection
by marketers. Instead, this report examines the everyday choices that internet users make about com-
municating their identity to the world and the ways in which they consume the information that others
share about themselves. At the heart of the social media explosion are millions of individual users, each
contributing their share of content, and each with a reputation at stake.
5 See, for instance: “Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy: The Greatest Generation Gap Since Rock and Roll,” by
Emily Nussbaum. New York Magazine. Available at: http://nymag.com/news/features/27341/. See also, a quote from the forth-
coming book by David Kirkpatrick, The Facebook Effect: “The older you are, the more likely you are to find Facebook’s exposure
of personal information intrusive and excessive.”
6 See “How Different are Young Adults from Older Adults When it Comes to Information Privacy Attitudes and Policies,”
Chris Hoofnagle et al. Available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1589864. See also: “Youth, Privacy
and Reputation,” Alice E. Marwick, et al. Available at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/publications/2010/Youth_Privacy_Reputa-
tion_Lit_Review
7 See, for instance, a recent and detailed study of Americans’ views towards privacy and tailored advertising online:
Joseph Turow et al., “Americans Reject Tailored Advertising and Three Activities that Enable It.” Available at: http://papers.ssrn.
com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1478214
page 6

7.
Methodology Note
This report is based on the findings of a daily tracking survey on Americans’ use of the internet. The re-
sults in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research
Associates International between August 18 to September 14, 2009, among a total sample of 2,253
adults, age 18 and older including 560 cell phone interviews. Interviews were conducted in both English
(n=2,179) and Spanish (n=74) and all interviews were conducted via telephone. For results based on the
total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random
effects is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. For results based on internet users (n=1,698), the margin
of sampling error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording
and practical difficulties in conducting telephone surveys may introduce some error or bias into the find-
ings of opinion polls.
A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples was used to represent all adults
in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. Both samples
were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC (SSI) according to PSRAI specifications. A more
detailed discussion of the sampling methods used for this survey is provided in the last section of this
report.
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8.
Part 1: Managing the ever-expanding reach of our digital
footprints
Searching for ourselves online
The majority of adult internet users (57%) now use search engines to find infor-
mation about themselves online, up from 47% in 2006.
Internet users have become increasingly likely to use search engines to check up on their digital foot-
prints. Since our last survey in 2006, search engines have vastly expanded their reach and now include
everything from images and videos to real-time results on Twitter.
In the September 2009 survey, 57% of adult internet users said they had used a search engine to look up
their name and see what information was available about them online. That marks a significant increase
since 2006 when 47% of adult internet users said they had searched for results connected to their names
online. However, that growth is more modest when compared with the 25-point increase that occurred
between 2001 and 2006 (when self-searching jumped from 22% to 47%).
What has not changed over the years are some of the core demographic trends with this activity. Male
and female internet users are equally likely to use a search engine to monitor their digital footprints. And
internet users under the age of 50 are consistently much more likely to be self-searchers when compared
with older users. Likewise, those with higher income and education levels are much more engaged than
those in lower socioeconomic groups when it comes to monitoring digital footprints. In the latest survey,
70% of internet users with a college degree had conducted a search for their name compared with just
43% of those with a high school degree or less.
Adults under the age of 50 are still more likely than older adults to monitor their
digital footprints.
Internet users under the age of 50 consistently surpass older online adults in their self-searching habits.
In 2009, fully 65% of young adult internet users ages 18-29 said they had searched for results connected
to their name online, up from 49% in 2006. Likewise, 61% of internet users ages 30-49 said they were
self-searchers, up from 54% in 2006.
By comparison, less than half (47%) of internet users ages 50-64 have used a search engine to check up
on the results tied to their name (up from 39% in 2006). About the same number, 45% of those ages 65
and older, use search engines to look up results connected to their names. However, that number repre-
sents significant growth since 2006, when just 28% of users age 65 and older had conducted a personal
name search.
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9.
Searching for ourselves
% of internet users who have ever used an online search engine to look up their own name
or see what information about them is on the internet, by age group
70%
65 18-29
61
60% 30-49
54 57
49
50% 47 All internet users
47 45
40%
39 50-64
30%
26
28
65+
24
20% 22
16
10% 11
0%
2001 2006 2009
The 2009 survey included interviews with both English-dominant and Spanish-dominant Hispanic adults.
Self-identified Hispanic internet users in this sample were significantly less likely than white internet
users to use a search engine to find results connected to their names online; just 40% of Hispanic inter-
net users said they had done this, compared with 60% of white internet users. Half of African-American
internet users (52%) said they had searched for results about themselves—a number that is not signifi-
cantly higher or lower than other groups.
Most self-searchers continue to be casually curious; few monitor their footprints
with great regularity.
Although there has been significant growth in the self searching population overall, most internet users
do not regularly rely on search engines to monitor their digital trails. Among the 57% of internet users
who are self-searchers, few make a steady habit of monitoring their online presence.8 In 2006, 74% of
self-searchers said that they had used a search engine to look up their own name only once or twice.
In 2009, 78% of self-searchers reported the same limited level of engagement. Just 2% say they use a
search engine to look up information about themselves on a regular basis, and 19% say they do so every
once in awhile.
Men who follow their digital footprints using search engines do so more often than women. One in four
8 However, there are many activities tied to reputation monitoring happen on social networking sites and 61% of social
networking users visit the sites at least every few days. It is also the case that some internet users hire services like Reputation
Defender to conduct their online reputation monitoring for them.
page 9

10.
(26%) male self-searchers checks on results at least every once in awhile compared with 17% of female
self-searchers who do the same. Interestingly, young adults who self-search largely say they have done
so only once or twice (84% say this), while older self-searchers are somewhat more engaged. Three in
four (75%) self-searchers ages 50-64 have checked up just once or twice, while 25% do so at least every
once in awhile.
One in five (20%) adult internet users say they have used other websites to look
up their name and see what information is available about them online.
While mainstream search engines are the starting point for nearly every kind of online query, those who
monitor their digital footprints also employ site-specific searches on social media sites like Facebook and
Flickr. While Google or Bing may cache the latest publicly available blog post that mentions your name,
you may need to search elsewhere to see semi-public information that circulates within your personal
social network. For the first time, we asked about these other searches, and found that 20% of online
adults use other websites and internet services to look up their own name to see what information they
find.
However, there is almost complete overlap between those who use those who use general search
engines and those who search elsewhere. If you don’t use search engines to check up on your digital
footprints, you most likely don’t check anywhere else. Looking at those who said yes to either question
only increases the size of the self-searching group by one percentage point; 58% of adult internet users
have searched online for information about themselves—either by using a search engine or conducting
searches on other sites.
Online men are more likely than online women to search for information about themselves on other
sites such as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube (23% vs. 18%). Again, internet users under the age of 50—
who are bigger users of social media sites—are more likely than older users to conduct searches on
these kinds of sites. One in four users in the under-50 group do so, compared with one in seven in the
over-50 group.
When people search for themselves, the most prominent results are usually
about someone else with the same name.
As we noted in the first Digital Footprints report, people can have very different experiences with online
reputation management depending on whether they have a unique name or one shared with others.
Likewise, people can become exceptionally visible in the search results connected to their names for a
range of reasons—because of the public nature of their job, their contributions to a blog or their per-
sonal involvement in a newsworthy event, for good or for ill.
Most who are motivated to look do find some relevant results. Among those who conduct personal
name searches, the majority (63%) say they find at least some relevant material connected to their
name. By comparison, 35% of self-searchers say their queries do not yield any relevant results.
Indeed, most people enjoy some level of “privacy through obscurity” online. We asked self-searchers
about the critical first page of search results that popped up when they queried their name, and how
page 10

11.
prominently their own name was in the results. When self-searchers query their name using a search
engine, 62% say the first page of results is mostly about someone else with a name very similar or identi-
cal to theirs. Just 31% of self-searchers say that most of the results on that critical first page are actually
about them.9
Those with highly-ranked results could appear in a more prominent position for a variety of reasons,
some of which may have to do with their job. Looking at the 31% of self-searchers who say that the first
page of search results contains material that is mostly about them, a much higher percentage than aver-
age say that they are required by their employer to market themselves online (27% compared with 12%
of all employed internet users).
Interestingly, while young adults are more likely to have posted a wide range of personal digital content
online, the results connected to their real name are far more likely to be hidden slightly deeper in the
haystack. Three in four (74%) self-searching young adults say that the first page of search results for their
name primarily contains content about someone else. That compares with 62% of self-searchers ages 30-
49, 51% of those ages 50-64 and 48% of those ages 65 and older.
The likelihood that someone will appear prominently in the first page of search results also tracks closely
with education, but not income. More than one-third (37%) of self-searchers with a college degree say
relevant results about them dominate the first page compared with just 21% of self-searchers with a high
school degree or less.
Internet users employ a multitude of identities online, and many avoid using
their real names.
While some of the content associated with our names online—such as our address, telephone number
or real estate transactions—is made available without our direct participation, we also actively make
choices about claiming authorship of the material we voluntarily share online.
Most internet users (54%) now count themselves among these content-contributing masses. They post
comments, queries and other information online through blogs, social networking sites and other ven-
ues. Among those who have posted this kind of material, 45% say they usually post information using
their real name. By comparison, an almost equal number (41%) say they usually post content under a
username or screen name that people associate with them. This affords some level of obscurity for con-
tent creators because a viewer would have to know a user’s screen name in order to associate content
with him. Just 8% say they usually post content anonymously.
Female content contributors are more likely than male contributors to say they usually post content on-
line under their real name (49% vs. 41%). Likewise, male contributors are more likely to routinely employ
a screen name when posting; 47% of men who post content usually do so with a username compared
with 36% of women. However, there are no significant differences between the sexes when it comes to
posting content anonymously.
Interestingly, social networking users are significantly more likely than non-users to say that they usually
post content online using their real name. Half (49%) of SNS users say they usually share material using
their real name, compared with 37% of non-SNS users. Similarly, they are less likely than non-SNS users
to say that they typically post content anonymously. Just 5% of SNS users say they usually post com-
ments, queries or other information anonymously, while 15% of non-SNS users report the same.
9 In December 2009, after this survey was fielded, Google started personalizing its search results. This would presum-
ably now affect a user’s perception of their ranking in the search results. For more detail, see: http://searchengineland.com/
google-now-personalizes-everyones-search-results-31195
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12.
Multiple identities online
% of each group who post info online using their real name, screen name or anonymously
Use real name User name/Screen name Anonymously
8 5
15
45 49 37
41 43
38
All internet users SNS users who Non-SNS users who
who post online info post online info post online info
n=840 n=564 n=275
One in four employed adults says their company has policies about how they
present themselves online.
Employed adults are more likely than in the past to say that they work for a company that has policies
about how they present themselves on the internet, such as what they can post on blogs and websites
or what information they can share online. One in four (25%) employed adults say their company has a
policy like this, up from 20% in December 2006. However, while 67% of employed adults say their work-
place does not have such a policy, another 8% say they don’t know.
Looking at employed internet users, 27% now work for an employer that has policies about how they
present themselves online—such as what they can post on blogs and websites or what information they
can share about themselves. That compares to 22% who reported the same in 2006.
Those with higher levels of education and income are far more likely to say they are employed in work-
places that have these policies about self-presentation online. One in three (32%) college grads say they
work for companies that have rules about how they present themselves on the internet, compared with
just 18% of high school grads. Likewise, 29% of employed adults living in households earning $75,000 or
more per year work for companies with such policies, compared with just 18% of those living in house-
holds earning less than $30,000 per year.
Just over one in ten (12%) employed internet users are “public personae” who
say they need to market themselves online as part of their job.
Those who need to make information available about themselves online in order to market themselves
for their job make up a unique segment of the internet universe. These “public personae” now make up
12% of the employed adult population, up slightly from the 10% who said they were required to market
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13.
themselves online in 2006.10
In contrast to 2006, employed men are now considerably more likely to be in the position of having to
promote themselves online. While 15% of employed men say they have a job that requires them to self-
promote online, just 7% of employed women say this. This role of self marketing is also somewhat more
common among younger adults; employed adults ages 18-29 are more likely than those ages 50-64 to
say they have a job that requires self-promotion online (15% vs. 9%).
However, once again, education stands out as one of the most important indicators. Fully 19% of em-
ployed college grads say that they have to market themselves online for their job, compared with just 6%
of high school grads.
Public personae stand out in a number of ways when it comes to reputation management online:
• They are far more active in monitoring search results connected to their names; 84% of public
personae use search engines to check up on their digital footprints, compared with just 55% of other
employed internet users.
Among those who search for themselves, 44% do so at least every once in awhile, compared with
20% of other employed internet users.
• They enjoy a higher ranking in search results; 47% of public personae who self-search say that the
first page of results is mostly about them, compared with just 28% of other employed internet users.
• They are bigger users of social media; 73% of public personae have created a social networking pro-
file compared with 46% of other employed internet users. Likewise, 36% say they have used Twitter
or another service to share updates about themselves, compared with 18% of other employed in-
ternet users. And almost one in three (29%) are bloggers, while just 11% of other employed internet
users have created or worked on a blog.
• They are more likely to request the removal of things that others post about them online. One in
five (22%) public personae say they have asked someone to remove information about them that
was posted online, including things like photos or videos, while just 6% of other employed internet
users have made such a request.
10 In 2006 we presented this finding as a percentage of all adult internet users who had a job that required self-market-
ing online (11% of internet users). However, due to the fluctuations in employment levels since that time, the percentage of
all internet users who have this kind of job is now lower (9%) even though the employed population as a whole now includes a
higher proportion of people who have such a job.
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14.
What we think others can see about us online
As in 2006, we asked a battery of questions about the different kinds of personal information that may
be available about the respondent online. The introduction to the question reads: “We’d like to know
if any of the following information about you is available on the internet for others to see—it doesn’t
matter if you posted it yourself or someone else posted it.” Respondents were also given the option to
say that they did not know whether a given piece of information was available, and for many questions,
respondents expressed a high level of uncertainty. While the affirmative answers paint a portrait of the
user’s impression of what is available, they likely do not reflect the full extent to which these pieces of
information could be uncovered by a motivated searcher. In addition, some of these items could be avail-
able publicly while others may be posted to a restricted profile or website.
Among employed internet users, 44% say that details about whom they work for
are available online.
Close to half (44%) of employed internet users now say that details about whom they work for are
posted online, up from 35% in 2006. Employed online adults who have higher levels of education and
income are more likely than other internet users to say this information is available. For example, 53% of
employed internet users with a college degree say that information about whom they work for is avail-
able online for others to see, compared with 36% of those with a high school degree.
Photos put a face to our digital footprints; 42% of internet users say a photo of
them is available online, up from just 23% in 2006.
As participation in social networking sites has grown, so too has the posting of photos, which is a central
element to profile creation. Overall, 42% of internet users say that a photo of them is available on the
internet for others to see, which represents a huge increase from the 23% of internet users who said the
same in 2006. Among SNS users, fully 71% say that photos of them are available online, compared with
just 18% of non-SNS users.
For internet users, the prospect of having a personal photo displayed online decreases sharply with age.
Looking at the standard age breaks, 68% of young adult internet users ages 18-29 say that photos of
them are available online, compared with 44% of those ages 30-49, 24% of those ages 50-64 and 17% of
wired seniors ages 65 and older.
However, among social networking users, the dropoff is much less severe; while 78% of SNS users ages
18-29 say that photos of them are available online for others to see, 65% of SNS users ages 30-49 and
66% of those ages 50 and older say that photos are available online.
Home broadband users are twice as likely as dial-up users to say that photos of them are available online
(46% vs. 22%). Likewise, those with wireless internet access are more likely than those without to say
that photos of them are posted on the internet for others to see (50% vs. 26%).
One in three (33%) internet users say their birth date is available online.
One in three internet users say their birth date is available online for others to see.11 However, 50% of
young adult internet users say their birth date is posted online, compared with 33% of users ages 30-49
11 The 2009 survey was the first time we asked this question, so there is no trend data to compare change over time.
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15.
and about one in five users ages 50 and older. This trend may be tied to the inclusion of birth dates on
social networking profiles; 51% of SNS users say their birth date is accessible online while just 18% of
non-users say their birth date is available.
Likewise, among young adult SNS users, the numbers are even higher; fully 59% of them say that their
birth date is available online. By comparison, 46% of SNS users ages 30-49 and 43% of those ages 50 and
older say their birth date is posted online.
12% of internet users say their cell phone number is available on the internet for
others to see, up from 6% in 2006.
While some people cautiously guard their cell phone number, 12% of internet users say their cell number
is posted on the internet for others to see. That segment is twice as large as it was in 2006, when just 6%
of internet users said their cell phone number was available online.
Male internet users are more likely than female internet users to say their cell phone number is acces-
sible on the internet (15% vs. 10%). In keeping with the above trends, young adults are also more likely
than older users to say that their cell phone number is available online. One in five (20%) report this,
compared with 11% of internet users ages 30-49, 9% of those ages 50-64 and 7% of those ages 65 and
older.
10% of internet users say a video of them is available online, up from only 2% in
2006.
One in ten internet users now say that video of them is available on the internet for others to see, which
represents a five-fold increase since 2006. Unlike with photos, there are significant gender differences
when it comes to video. Male internet users are more likely than female internet users to say that video
of them is available online (13% vs. 7%).
As is the case with photos, young adults are far more likely than their elders to say that video of them is
available online. One in four (25%) internet users ages 18-29 say that video of them is accessible on the
internet, compared with just 6% of users ages 30-49 and only 2% of those ages 50 and older.
Among users of social networking sites, 18% say that video of them is available online, compared with
just 2% of non-users. Nearly one-third (30%) of SNS users ages 18-29 say that video of them is posted on
the internet for others to see, compared with about one in ten SNS users who are older than that.
Home broadband users are more than three times as likely as dial-up users to say that video of them is
available online (11% vs. 3%). Similarly, those with wireless internet access are more likely than those
without to say that video of them can be found online (13% vs. 3%).
Some pieces of information are now less likely than in the past to be reported as
available.
While basic pieces of contact information like a home address and telephone number were among the
top items reported to be available online in our 2006 survey, they are now surpassed by employer infor-
mation and photos.
• 26% of internet users say that their home address is available on the internet for others to see,
down from 35% who reported this in 2006.
• 21% of internet users say their home phone number is available online, down from 30% in 2006.
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16.
A number of items were essentially unchanged since the 2006 survey.
Several pieces of information were just as likely to be reported as available online in 2009 as they were in
2006:
• 31% of internet users say that their email address is available online (compared with 32% who said
this in 2006).
• 23% say that things they have written with their name on it are available for others to see online
(compared with 24% who reported this in 2006).
• 22% say that information about the groups or organizations they belong to is available online (com-
pared with 23% in 2006).
• 12% say their political party or affiliation is available online for others to see (compared with 11%
who reported this in 2006).
Many users express uncertainty about the availability of their information on-
line.
A relatively large segment of the internet user population expressed uncertainty about the availability of
various pieces of information online. Email addresses—which are often bought and sold and can be com-
promised by spammers--still evoke the most tentative responses; 32% of internet users say they don’t
know whether or not their email address is available online for others to see.
A slightly smaller segment—about one in five internet users—say they are unsure whether or not their
home address, birth date, home phone number or cell phone number are available online for others to
find.
What we think others can see
Is this available on the internet, or not--or are you not sure? (% of internet users unless otherwise noted)
Yes No Don't know
Company or employer* 44 42 14
Photo of you 42 48 9
Birth date 33 47 20
Email address 31 35 32
Home address 26 50 23
Things you have written (w/ your name on it) 23 64 13
Which groups or organizations you belong to 22 63 13
Home phone number 21 58 19
12 70 16
Cell phone number** 12 69 19
Video of you 10 83 7
* based on employed internet users
** based on internet users who have a cell phone
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17.
Millennials report a much larger digital footprint compared with older genera-
tions.
When asked about the array of information that may be available about them online, Millennials (young
adults ages 18-32) report a much larger digital footprint when compared with older generations.
Looking across the range of items we queried, internet-using Millennials were much more likely than
older cohorts to report that at least five pieces of information were available online for others to see.
One in three online Millennials (32%) reported this level of information sharing online, compared with
17% of Gen X, 20% of Trailing Boomers and 15% of Leading Boomers. Among the Silent Generation, 12%
said at least five of these items were available, while 13% of the G.I. Generation reported the same.
One of the most notable differences is the extent to which images of the youngest generation—whether
photos or videos--are shared online. The number of internet-using Millennials who say that photos of
them are available online is more than double that of their parents’ generations.
Fully 65% of online adults ages 18-32 say that photos of them are available online for others to see com-
pared with just 30% of Trailing Boomers and 24% of Leading Boomers. The same stark contrast is true of
video; 23% of Millennials say that video of them is posted online while just 4% of Trailing Boomers and
2% of Leading Boomers say that videos of them are available for others to see on the internet. Even Gen-
eration X lags significantly when compared with the well-documented lives of the Millennials. Less than
half (44%) say that photos of them are available, and just 4% say that video of them is online.
Nearly half of online Millennials say that their birth date is available online for
others to see.
While including a birth date has become a standard feature on many social networking profiles, this can
also be a critical piece of information used by identity thieves. Birth dates are used by many businesses,
including credit grantors, as a password to permit account access or establish new accounts. One recent
study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that the acquisition of a birth date, particularly
when combined with location information for younger users, can be used to successfully predict social
security numbers.12 And another recent study found that young Millennials, ages 18-24, are at the great-
est risk for identity theft because it takes them longer to detect that their information has been stolen.13
Among internet-using Millennials, 47% say that their birth date is available online for others to see. That
compares with 34% of Gen X internet users, 27% of Trailing Boomers and 22% of Leading Boomers who
are online. Another 22% of internet users in the Silent Generation and just 14% of internet users in the
G.I. Generation say that their birth date is available online.
Looking at Millennials who are social networking users, 57% say that their birth date is available some-
where online for others to see. However, the survey did not ask specifically about the inclusion of birth
dates on social networking profiles.
12 See: “Predicting Social Security numbers from public data, ” Alessandro Acquisti and Ralph Gross, Proceedings of
the National Academy of the Sciences, May 5, 2009. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/106/27/10975.full.pdf%20
html?sid=f655da07-5374-4129-afe3-a09ba3f3fe69
13 See: “18- to 24-year-olds most at risk for ID theft, survey finds,” Allison Klein, The Washington Post, March 17, 2010.
Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031604209.html
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18.
While Millennials are more likely than older generations to say that their cell
phone number is available online, they are less likely to say that their home ad-
dress is posted online.
One in five internet-using Millennials who own a mobile phone (19%) say that their cell phone number
is available online for others to see. That compares with about one in ten respondents from each older
cohort who reported the same. However, just 18% of online Millennials said that they believed their
home address was available online, compared with 31% of Gen Xers, 32% of Trailing Boomers and 28% of
Leading Boomers. Among internet users in the Silent Generation, 34% said that their home address was
posted online for others to see. (continued on the next page...)
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20.
Those who are more visible online are more likely to be contacted by someone
from their past.
By several different measures, internet users who are more visible online are more likely to say that they
have been contacted by someone from their past who found them through the internet. Overall, 40% of
all adult internet users have been contacted online by people from their past, up from just 20% in 2006.
Looking across all of the pieces of information we asked internet users about—from the availability of
their email address to information such as their birth date—we created a count variable that allowed us
to compare people according to the amount of information they reported as available online for others
to see. Internet users who say that a large amount of information is available about them online (those
who reported 5-11 items being available) were more likely than every other group to say that they had
been contacted by someone from their past who found them through the internet. We looked at four
groups according to their varying levels of visibility online:
• 66% of internet users who reported that a lot of information (5-11 items) was available about them
online said they had been contacted by someone from their past.
• 53% of internet users who reported that some information (3-4 items) was available about them said
they had been contacted by someone from their past.
• 32% of internet users who reported that only a little information (1-2 items) was available about
them said they were contacted.
• 15% of those who said none of the items we asked about were available online still said that they
were contacted by someone from their past who found them through the internet.
Social media users receive more contact from past connections.
Internet users who maintain profiles on social networking sites are almost four times as likely as non-
SNS users to say they have been contacted by someone from their past (67% vs. 18%). Likewise, users of
status update services like Twitter are far more likely to be contacted (65% vs. 34%), as are online daters
(64% vs. 38%).
Interestingly, online men are more likely than online women to say they have been contacted (43% vs.
38%). And users under the age of 50—particularly young adults ages 18-29—are the most likely to report
being contacted by someone from their past:
• 55% of internet users ages 18-29 say they have been contacted, compared with:
• 46% of internet users ages 30-49,
• 25% of internet users ages 50-64, and
• 20% of internet users ages 65 and older.
Looking at age variations among social networking users, the differences for those under age 50 disap-
pear:
• 68% of social networking users ages 18-29 have been contacted by someone from their past, com-
pared with:
• 69% of SNS users ages 30-49, and
• 56% of SNS users ages 50 and older.
While these figures do not establish a causal relationship between social networking site usage and
receiving contact from past connections, it is clear that more of this activity is happening among people
who maintain profiles on social networking sites than among those who do not.
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21.
Part 2: Concerns about the availability of personal infor-
mation
Attitudes and Actions
Over time, users have become less likely to express concern about the amount
of information available about them online.14
To even the most casual news observer, the stream of stories documenting commercial and government
data breaches, employers Googling job candidates and celebrities committing Twitter faux pas may make
it seem as though there are more reasons than ever to worry about the amount of information connect-
ed to people’s names online. And given that users have become more aware of their digital footprints
over the years, one might expect that concerns over the availability of this information have grown. Yet,
over time, adult internet users have actually become less likely to express concern about the size of their
digital footprints:
• 33% of internet users say they worry about how much information is available about them online,
down from 40% in December 2006.15
• These decreased levels of concern are fairly uniform across demographic groups—no group saw an
increase on this metric over the last three years.
And while there are few differences on this question with respect to income, education, race or gender,
age remains an important predictor of concern. Among age groups, internet users ages 30-49 are the
most likely to worry about the amount of information available online: 38% say they are concerned,
compared with 30% of users ages 18-29, 31% of those ages 50-64 and 23% of those 65 and older.
However, it is important to note that the results from this question are not a measure of internet users’
overall views on “privacy” or the extent to which they wish to have control over their personal informa-
tion online. A relative lack of concern about the availability of personal information online does not nec-
essarily translate into inaction. Indeed, many of the least concerned internet users have still taken steps
to restrict what they share with others.
For example, two-thirds of all SNS users (65%) say they have changed the privacy settings for their profile
to limit what they share with others online. Among SNS users who worry about the availability of their
online information, fully 77% have changed their privacy settings. However, even those who don’t worry
about such information are relatively active in this regard—59% of these less concerned SNS users have
adjusted their privacy settings in this way.
It’s also the case that very few internet users have experienced reputational missteps online, which may
contribute to their relatively low levels of concern. Only 4% internet users report having bad experiences
14 As is noted elsewhere in this report, this survey was fielded before Facebook announced the most recent and contro-
versial changes to its default privacy settings.
15 The question used in the September 2009 survey question read, “Do you ever worry about how much information
is available about you on the internet, or is that not something you really worry about?” The December 2006 survey question
read. “Do you ever worry about how much information is available about you online, or is that not something you really worry
about?” This is a minor change that does not affect the ability to make trend comparisons.
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22.
because embarrassing or inaccurate information was posted about them online (unchanged since 2006).
Even among the highly visible “public personae” population that is required to self-promote online, just
6% report a bad experience due to embarrassing or inaccurate information being posted online.
Likewise, just 8% of all adult internet users have asked that information that was posted about them
online be removed, which is virtually unchanged from the 6% of internet users who reported these
requests in 2006. And for the first time, we asked social networking users about their own role in shar-
ing undesirable material; just 12% of social networking users say they have posted updates, comments,
photos or videos that they later regret sharing.
Concerns over personal information
% of internet users in each age group who say they worry about how
much information is available online about them, over time
50% 2006 2009
40% 42
40 40
38 38
30% 33
30 31 31
20% 23
10%
0%
Total 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
Young adults are still more likely than older users to say they limit the amount of
information available about them online.
The percentage of internet users who take steps to limit the information available about them on the in-
ternet has also declined, albeit by a slightly smaller margin. One-third (33%) of internet users take steps
to limit the amount of information available about them online, down from 38% of such users in Decem-
ber 2006.16 Young internet users (those ages 18-29) remain the most likely group to limit the information
available about them online—45% did this in December 2006, and 44% do so now.
When compared with other age groups, young adults are the only group that remains just as likely to
limit their online information as they were in 2006. Older age groups are not only less likely than young
adults to say that they limit their information, but they have become less likely to do so over time. In the
16 The question used in the September 2009 survey question read, “Do you ever take steps to try to limit the amount
of information that’s available about you on the internet, or is that not something you ever do?” The December 2006 survey
question read. “Do you ever take steps to try to limit the amount of information that’s available about you online, or is that not
something you ever do?” As noted above, this is also a minor change that does not affect the ability to make trend comparisons.
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23.
latest survey, 33% of 30-49 year olds, 25% of 50-64 year olds and 20% of those 65 and older said they
take steps to limit their information online. That compares to 40% of 30-49 year olds, 32% of 50-64 year
olds and 28% of those 65 and older who said they take steps to limit their information in 2006.
There are few differences on this question with respect to income, education, race or gender. Likewise,
the only difference relating to geography is the finding that suburban internet users (35%) are a margin-
ally more likely to say they take steps to limit the amount of information available about them when
compared with rural users (26% of whom do so).
Limiting personal information
% of internet users in each age group who take steps to limit the
amount of information available online about them
50% 2006 2009
45 44
40%
40
38
30% 33 33 32
28
25
20%
20
10%
0%
Total 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
Wireless and broadband users are no more concerned, but are more likely to
limit the amount of information available about them online.
Interestingly, while both wireless and broadband users are more likely to take steps to limit their person-
al information they are no more likely than other internet users to be worried about how much informa-
tion is available about them online. Some 36% of home broadband users take steps to limit their per-
sonal information (compared with 24% of dialup users), while 35% of wireless users limit their personal
information (compared with 27% of stationary internet users).
Those who know more, worry more.
Worries about the availability of personal information and taking steps to limit that information are
tightly linked with the amount of searching (both personal searches and searches about others) one
takes part in. In our 2006 survey, those who searched their own name were just as likely to worry about
how much information is available about them online as were those who did not self-search.17 Now,
17 Other research has indicated a similar relationship between increased awareness and concern. See, for instance: Oscar
H. Gandy, Jr. “The role of theory in the policy process. A response to Professor Westin.” pp. 99-106 in C. Firestone and J. Sche-
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24.
those who self-search are significantly more likely than those who do not search to worry about their
online footprints (37% vs. 27%).
Yet, self-searchers have not become any more likely to express concern as time has progressed. In 2006,
40% of self-searches said they were worried about the amount of information available about them
online, and 37% reported the same in 2009. The overall drop in those who say they worry about the
amount of information available about them on the internet is primarily among those who have never
used a search engine to look up their own names online. Chances are, if you haven’t bothered to Google
your name by now, you don’t spend much time fretting about your digital footprints.
And those who express concern are twice as likely to say they take steps to limit
the amount of information available about them online.
Those who express concern about the amount of information available about them online are far more
likely to take steps to limit access to that material; 53% of those who worry also take steps to limit, com-
pared with just 23% of internet users who do not express concern. This finding is unchanged since 2006
when 54% of those who were worried said they took steps to limit access to information about them.
However, concern about and limitation of information do not always go hand in hand. Among internet
users who say they worry about how much information is available about them online, 45% say they do
not take steps to limit the amount of information accessible to others online.
The most visible and engaged internet users are also most active in limiting the
information connected to their names online.
At first glance, this finding seems to suggest an inherent contradiction. Wouldn’t those who are less
visible online be the ones doing the most to limit their information? However, analysis of multiple
questions on our survey implies quite the opposite. Those who are the most engaged online have more
material to manage and therefore need to be more proactive in limiting that information—whether that
means changing the default privacy settings on a social networking profile or requesting that inaccurate
information be removed from a website.
The more active people are in searching for results connected to their names online, the more likely they
are to take steps to limit that information: Internet users who search for their own name are more likely
to limit the information available about them online than those who do not (39% vs. 24%).
Those who report the most information being available about them online are also the most likely to
say they take steps to limit what is accessible: Those who report the widest range of information being
available about them (at least 5 of the 11 items we asked about) are considerably more likely to say they
take steps to limit their information than are those who report only 1 or 2 items being available (43% vs.
30%).
The more you see footprints left by others, the more likely you are to limit your
own.
Those who search for information about others are more than twice as likely as non-searchers to limit
ment (Eds.). Toward an Information Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, 1995. “...I discovered that the extent to which people had
read or heard about the “potential use or misuse of computerized information about consumers” was a powerful explanatory
factor. The more they had heard or read, the more they were concerned about threats to their privacy, the more concerned they
were about the sale of personal information by the list industry.”
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25.
their personal information than those who do not (39% vs. 17%). And the more often a user searches for
information about others, the more likely she is to limit access to her own personal information. Among
people searchers who say they look for information about others at least every once in a while, 46% say
they take steps to limit the amount of content accessible about themselves online. That compares with
just 33% of those who have searched for information about others only once or twice.
Social networking users are no more concerned, but are more likely to limit the
amount of information accessible to others online.
Social network users are no more or less likely than non-users to worry about the availability of informa-
tion about them online (32% for SNS users, 34% for non-users). However, profile owners are consistently
more likely to take steps to limit their personal information (41% do this, vs. 26% of non-users).
The gap between SNS users and non-users has actually decreased significantly since 2006 when it comes
to limiting personal information online. In 2006, the difference between users and non-users on this
question was 23 percentage points (57% vs. 34%); now the gap is 15 points. In other words, compared
with the general online population, users of online social networks are now less likely to limit their per-
sonal information online than they were three years ago.
Those who take steps to limit the information about them online are less likely
to post comments online using their real name.
Those who worry about how much information is available about them online are roughly as likely to
post comments, queries and other information online (using a real name, a screen name, or anonymous-
ly) as those who do not worry about their personal information—57% vs. 52%.
However, those who take steps to limit their personal information are much more likely to post on-
line—69% of these internet users have posted something online, compared with 47% of those who do
not take steps to limit their personal information. And within the universe of content posters, those who
take steps to limit their personal information are generally less likely to use their real names (40% usually
do so, compared with 49% of posters who do not take steps to limit their personal info) and more likely
to use a screen name (46% vs. 38%). Content posters who limit their personal information and those
who do not are equally likely to post anonymously (10% vs. 7%).
If your boss is watching, you’re more likely to be watching, too.
As noted above, overall, 12% of employed adults say need to market themselves online as part of their
job. These public personae who are required to self promote online are more proactive in monitoring
their online identities than those who do not have this kind of professional obligation.
Fully 84% of those who say they need to post information about themselves online as part of their job
use a search engine to look up their own name, which is up significantly from 68% in 2006. Among other
employed internet users who are not required to market themselves online, just 55% use search engines
to find results connected to their name.
Again, as in 2006, public personae are more active in monitoring and managing their digital footprint;
44% of those who follow their footprints via search engines say they do so at least every once in a while.
Among other employed internet users, only 20% do so with the same level of frequency.
The greater level of vigilance among public personae is also illustrated by a greater likelihood to limit the
amount of information available about them. Four in ten (42%) of these “public personae” say they take
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26.
steps to limit their personal information compared with 32% of other employed internet users. However,
public personae are no more likely to worry about the amount of information accessible about them
online.
However, those whose workplaces have explicit policies about employees’ presence online do express
slightly higher levels of concern; 41% of those who work for a company with a policy about how employ-
ees should present themselves online worry about the information that is available about them (vs. 29%
of those whose companies do not have such policies). The difference in limiting behavior is slightly less
pronounced; 39% of those with company policies about self-presentation online take steps to limit their
personal information compared with 31% of employees whose companies do not have such policies.
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27.
Negative experiences and damage control
Just 4% of internet users report bad experiences because of embarrassing or
inaccurate information online.
High levels of confidence among internet users may, in part, be connected to personal experience. As
was the case in 2006, the 2009 survey found that just 4% of adult internet users have had bad experi-
ences because embarrassing or inaccurate information was posted about them online.
Young adult internet users (18-29) are more likely than online adults ages 50 and older to report bad
experiences of this kind; 7% of young adults say they have had negative experiences because of embar-
rassing or inaccurate information being posted about them, compared with just 2% of adults ages 50 and
older.
Those who worry about the amount of information available about them online are also somewhat more
likely to report bad experiences (7% vs. 3% of those who do not worry). However, more than any other
group, the 8% of internet users who have used online dating websites are the most likely to say they
have had bad experiences. Fully 14% of online daters say they have had negative experiences because of
embarrassing or inaccurate information posted online, compared with just 4% of those who do not use
online dating sites.
Those who worry about or limit their personal information online are more likely than those who do not
to have had a bad experience online due to someone posting their personal information, although not by
an overwhelming margin. Some 7% of internet users who worry about their personal information online
have had a bad experience, vs. 3% of those who do not worry about their personal info. Similarly, 8% of
those who take steps to limit their personal information have had a bad experience, compared with 3%
of those who do not take steps to limit their online footprint.
Close to one in ten internet users (8%) have asked someone to remove informa-
tion about them that was posted online.
Internet users are twice as likely to say they have asked someone to remove information about them
as they are to say they have had a bad experience due to embarrassing or inaccurate information being
shared. Among all adult internet users, 8% say they have asked someone to remove information about
them that was posted on the internet, including things like photos or videos. By comparison, about the
same number (6%) reported this in 2006.
However, young adults are the only age group that has become significantly more likely since 2006 to say
they have requested an information takedown. Close to one in five (18%) young adult internet users ages
18-29 say they have asked someone to remove information about them that was posted online, up from
9% in 2006. That compares to just 6% of users ages 30-49, 5% of those ages 50-64 and just 1% of those
ages 65 and older who said they had requested an information takedown in the current survey (see chart
below for comparisons to 2006).
These age-related variations hold true among the social networking population as well. As we noted in
our Social Media and Young Adults report, 46% of adult internet users say they have created a profile
online that others can see on a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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28.
Overall, 13% of SNS users have requested an information takedown, but 20% of SNS users ages 18-29
have made such a request. By comparison, 8% of SNS users ages 30-49 have asked someone to remove
information about them and 9% of SNS users ages 50 and older have done this.
Revising their results
% of internet users in each age group who have ever asked
someone to remove information about them that was posted
on the internet, including things like photos or videos
30%
2006 2009
20%
18
10%
8 9
6 6 6 5 5 2 1
0%
Total 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
Those who worry about their personal information or take steps to limit the content that is available
about them online are more likely to say that they have asked others to take down information about
them. Among those who worry about the amount of personal information available about them online,
13% have asked someone to take down something they posted (vs. 6% of those who do not worry);
similarly, 16% of those who take steps to limit their personal information have asked others to take down
information about them (compared with 4% of non-limiters who have done this).
The vast majority of internet users who have requested a takedown were try-
ing to get a photo or video removed. And most who sought removal of material
were successful.
When asked what kind of material they were trying to get removed from the internet, 76% of those who
have requested such a takedown said that item was a photo or video. More than one in three (37%) said
they had requested that some kind of written material, such as a comment or blog posting, be removed,
and 14% said they had asked for some other kind of content to be taken down.18
The vast majority of those who have requested that some kind of information about them be taken of-
fline say that their efforts are usually effective. Fully 82% report this, compared with 17% who say they
are not usually successful at getting information about them removed.
The number of people who have requested an information takedown is too small to make any meaning-
ful comparisons of success rates across age groups or socioeconomic status.
18 These figures add up to more than 100% because this question allowed for multiple responses.
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29.
Managing identity through social media
Among users of social networking sites, young adults are the most proactive in
customizing their privacy settings and restricting who can see certain updates.
Younger internet users are often associated with the idea that they prefer to share information rather
than protect their privacy online. However, our data suggest that younger users are far more active and
deliberate curators of their online profiles when compared with older users--perhaps out of necessity.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of social networking users ages 18-29 have changed the privacy settings on
their profile to limit what they share with others online. By comparison, 62% of SNS users ages 30-49 and
just 55% of SNS users ages 50-64 have changed the default settings. Overall, 65% of adult SNS users say
they have customized the privacy settings on their profile to restrict what they share.
Likewise, half of all SNS users (52%) say they have restricted what they share by keeping some people
from seeing certain updates. This could include creating custom friend lists or blocking individual users
from seeing certain updates or content. For this question, there was less variation among those under
age 50. While 58% of SNS users ages 18-29 keep some people from seeing certain updates, 52% of those
ages 30-49 do this, compared with 37% of SNS users ages 50-64.
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30.
Yet, young adults are by far the most likely to say that they have posted content
to social networking sites that they later regret sharing.
Looking at the adult social networking population as a whole, relatively few users (12%) say they have
posted updates, comments, photos or videos to the sites that they later regret sharing. However, among
SNS users ages 18-29, that number jumps to 19%, while just 9% of those ages 30-49 and only 5% of
those ages 50-64 say they have had this experience.
When asked if they ever tried to remove any of the information that they regretted sharing, about eight
in ten of these remorseful users said they had attempted to take that content down.
Young adults are also the most likely to delete unwanted comments and tags as-
sociated with their profiles.
Managing an online identity requires more than just making good decisions about the material you share
and who you share it with. It also requires monitoring and refining the content that others post about
you. Among social networking users, more than a third (36%) say they have deleted comments that oth-
ers have made on their profiles. Again, young adults are far more engaged in this regard. Half (47%) of
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31.
young adult SNS users have deleted comments that others have made on their profile, compared with
just 29% of SNS users ages 30-49 and 26% of those ages 50-64.
Similarly, 41% of SNS users ages 18-29 say they have removed their name from photos that were tagged
to identify them, compared with just 24% of SNS users ages 30-49 and only 18% of those ages 50-64.
Overall, 30% of adult SNS users say they have removed tags that identified them in photos.
More than half of social networking users (56%) have “unfriended” others in
their network.
In 2009, the term “unfriend” was chosen as the Oxford Word of the Year and defined as the action of re-
moving someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook. While “friending” someone
on a social networking site assumes a certain level of persistence in that connection, relationships in the
offline world are dynamic and may go through periods of dormancy or end altogether. Indeed, 56% of
social networking users say they have deleted people from their network or friends list.
Once again, young adults are the most experienced in this form of management of their social network:
64% of SNS users ages 18-29 have deleted people from their network or friends list, compared with 52%
of those ages 30-49 and just 41% of users ages 50-64.
Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean I’m listening: 41% of social networking
users say they filter updates posted by some of their friends.
While some friends get deleted from others’ networks, others are simply tuned out. Features such as the
“Hide” function on Facebook facilitate this kind of filtering, essentially omitting certain friends’ updates
from a user’s News Feed. Overall, 41% of social networking users say they have filtered updates posted
by some of their friends.
SNS users ages 18-29 are equally as likely as those ages 30-49 to say that they filter updates from their
friends (44% vs. 43%). However, SNS users ages 50-64 are significantly less likely to utilize this feature
(30% say they filter).
Young adult users of social networking sites report the lowest levels of trust in
them.
Young adult users of social networking applications are not only the most proactive in customizing their
privacy settings and limiting what they share via their profiles, but they are also generally less trusting
than older users of the sites that host their content. When asked how much of the time they think they
can trust social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, 28% of SNS users ages 18-29 say
“never.” By comparison, a smaller segment of older users express such cautious views; 19% of SNS users
ages 30-49 and 14% of those ages 50-64 say they never trust the sites.
While younger generations have historically been associated with lower levels of trust overall, those
ages 18-29 were not any more likely than older adults to express low levels of trust in this survey.19 The
responses to this question are also significant when seen within the context of the social networking site
19 Among all adults, when asked a general question about trust in people (“Generally speaking, would you say that most
people can be trusted or that you can’t be too careful in dealing with people?”), 61% of adults ages 18-29 said “you can’t be too
careful,” compared with 58% of adults ages 50 and older. Among those ages 30-49, 66% said you “can’t be too careful,” which is
significantly higher than the response from adults ages 50 and older, but not significantly higher than the response from young
adults ages 18-29.
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32.
user population as a whole.20 Among SNS users, when asked a general question about trust in people
(“Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can’t be too careful in
dealing with people?”)—there are not significant variations in levels of trust by age. For instance, 57% of
SNS users ages 18-29 say “you can’t be too careful” in dealing with people, compared with 58% of SNS
users ages 30-49. Among social networking users ages 50 and older, 50% express this cautious view (a
difference that is not significant when compared with younger users).
Likewise, young adult SNS users are no less trusting of an array of other organizations, and are actu-
ally more trusting of news websites when compared with older SNS users. While 42% of SNS users ages
18-29 say you can “just about always” or “most of the time” trust news websites, only 32% of SNS users
ages 50 and older express the same level of confidence. When asked about their levels of trust in other
kinds of organizations—including large corporations, newspapers and television news, financial compa-
nies and websites that provide health information—young adult SNS users express views that are not
significantly different than their elder SNS-using counterparts.
20 For more detail on young adults and measures of social trust, see “Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why.”
Available at: http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/414/americans-and-social-trust-who-where-and-why
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34.
Part 3: Searching, Following and Friending: How users
monitor other people’s digital footprints online
Searching for others
Seven in ten online adults have searched online for information about other
people.
While users have become more curious about our own digital footprints over time, they have also
become more likely to search for information about a range of other people in their lives. When asked
about eight different groups of people they may encounter in everyday life, 69% of online adults had
searched for information about others in at least one of these various groups. As a general rule, internet
users under the age of 50 are more likely than older internet users to have sought information about
other people in their lives. Three in four internet users under age 50 have searched for information
about at least one of these groups, compared with 64% of online adults ages 50-64 and 53% of those
ages 65 and older.
Another trend that is consistent across every one of these questions is that social networking users are
far more likely than non-users to say they search for information about others in their lives. Overall, 84%
of SNS users have searched online for information about at least one of the groups we asked about com-
pared with 56% of non-SNS users. Likewise, those with more tech assets—such as broadband access at
home, wireless connectivity or multiple internet-connected devices—are more likely than other internet
users to search online for information about the people in their lives.
Few searchers say they seek out online information about others on a regular
basis, and most have done so only once or twice.
Among the 69% of internet users who have searched for information about people in their lives, very few
make a regular habit of it. Just 5% of these seekers of others say they search for information about other
people on a regular basis, while 53% say they have done so only once or twice. Another 39% say they
search for information about people “every once in a while.”
There is not great variation according to age in the frequency of searching, though young adults are
somewhat more likely than older adults to say they search either on a regular basis or every once in a
while.
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35.
2006 2009
Someone from your past or 36
someone you have lost touch with 46
Someone whose services or advice not asked in 2006
you seek in a professional capacity,
like a doctor, lawyer or plumber 44
26
Friends
38
23
Family members
30
19
Co-workers or business competitors
26
17
Neighbors or people in community
19
11
19
Someone you are dating or 9
in a relationship with 16
Yes to at least one (2009) 69
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Reconnecting and rekindling: Nearly half of online adults (46%) have searched
for information about someone from their past or someone they have lost touch
with.
As was the case in 2006, people with whom we have lost touch are the most commonly sought-after
group. While 36% of internet users had searched for information about someone from their past in 2006,
now 46% say they have done this. Re-establishing connections and gathering information about people
we have lost touch with is a hallmark of people search in the digital age. In a similar question, we asked
respondents if they had ever personally been contacted by someone from their past, and 40% say yes
(up from just 20% in 2006).
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36.
Among those users who have been contacted by someone from their past, most are also taking steps to
revive connections themselves; 73% say they have personally sought out information about someone
from their past.
These groups stand out as significantly more likely to seek information about people with whom they
have lost touch:
• Younger internet users - 53% of internet users under age 50 have sought information about some-
one from their past compared with just 36% of those over age 50.
• College grads – 55% of internet users with a college degree seek out information about those they
have lost touch with online compared with 35% of those with a high school degree.
• Parents – 51% of parents search for information about those with whom they have lost touch, com-
pared with 44% of non-parents.
• Broadband users – 50% of internet users with broadband at home search for information about
people from their past, compared with 28% of dial-up users.
• Wireless users – 52% of wireless internet users search for information about past connections, com-
pared with 34% of non-wireless users.
• SNS users – 64% of social networking users have searched for information about someone from their
past, compared with 30% of non-users.
Online reputation matters: 44% of online adults have searched for information
about someone whose services or advice they seek in a professional capacity.
Increasingly, the internet is being used as a point of reference not only for the people we know or used
to know in our lives, but also for those with whom users may be interacting in the future. In the business
world, where people seek out services from competing people and companies with whom they have had
no prior interaction, a positive online recommendation or a negative review can a crucial deciding factor
for a potential client. In all, 44% of online adults say they have searched online for information about
someone whose services or advice they seek in a professional capacity, like a doctor, lawyer or plumber.21
There is not great variation for this activity across age groups, although internet users age 65 and older
are considerably less likely to use the internet for this kind of search. While 49% of internet users ages
30-49 have searched online for information about someone whose services or advice they were seek-
ing, just 23% of internet users ages 65 and older have done this. However, the following groups display a
greater tendency to research those whose services they seek:
• College grads - 58% of those with a college degree have sought information online about someone
whose services or advice they were seeking, compared with 29% of high school grads.
• Higher income groups – Among internet users living in households earning $75,000 or more per
year, 58% have sought info about someone who would provide professional services, compared with
just 34% of those living in households earning $30,000 or less.
• White internet users – Whites are more likely than Hispanic internet users to have researched some-
one whose services they seek (46% vs. 31%).
• Parents - 49% of parents search for information about those whose services they seek, compared
with 40% of non-parents.
21 This was the first time we asked this question, so there is no comparable data from 2006.
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37.
• Broadband users – 49% of internet users with broadband at home have searched for information
about someone whose services or advice they were seeking, compared with 21% of dial-up users.
• Wireless users – 50% of wireless internet users have done online research about those whose ser-
vices they seek, compared with just 30% of non-wireless users.
• SNS users – 56% of social networking users have searched for information about someone whose
services they seek, compared with 33% of non-users.
Social background checks are growing in popularity, but are not yet the norm:
38% of internet users have searched online to find information about their
friends.
Over time, internet users have become significantly more likely to search online for information about
their friends. Well over a third (38%) now say they do so, up from just 26% in 2006. The propensity to
search for information about friends is closely linked to age:
• Young adults - 53% of young adult internet users ages 18-29 search for information about their
friends, while 42% of those ages 30-49 do so. Likewise, only 28% of internet users ages 50-64 search
for their friends’ digital footprints, compared with just 18% of those ages 65 and older.
• Broadband users – Internet users with broadband at home are twice as likely as dial-up users to
search for information about their friends online (42% vs. 21%).
• Wireless users – Internet users with wireless access are also twice as likely as non-wireless users to
search for information about friends online (45% vs. 24%).
• SNS users – 58% of social networking users have sought information about their friends online, com-
pared with 22% of non-users.
Curious about our kin: Nearly one in three (30%) internet users have searched
for information about their family members online.
Searches for family members have also grown over time, such that 30% of internet users now say they
have searched for information about people in their family, up from 23% in 2006. Many of the same ten-
dencies that apply for friend searchers also apply to those that seek out information about their family,
though the differences are not as stark:
• Young adults - 34% of young adult internet users ages 18-29 search for information about their
family members, compared with 32% of those ages 30-49. However, only 25% of internet users ages
50-64 seek out information about their family members, which is the same incidence (24%) among
those ages 65 and older.
• White internet users – 31% of white internet users have searched for information about people in
their family online, compared with just 22% of Hispanic internet users.
• Broadband users – Among internet users with high-speed access at home, 32% search for informa-
tion about their family members online, compared with 21% of dial-up users.
• Wireless users – 34% of wireless internet users search for information about their family members
online, compared with 20% of non-wireless internet users.
• SNS users – 40% of social networking users have sought information about their family members
online, compared with 20% of non-users.
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38.
Digital footprints at work: One in four (26%) internet users have searched for
information about co-workers, professional colleagues or business competitors
online.
Internet users are now more likely to say that they have sought information about their co-workers, col-
leagues or business competitors online; 26% now report this, up from 19% in 2006. Looking specifically
at employed internet users, 31% have searched online for information about co-workers, professional
colleagues or business competitors, up from 23% in 2006. Unlike the other groups we asked about, there
are significant differences in the responses to this question according to gender, and the age differences
among internet users under the age of 65 are modest. The figures below refer to subgroups of all inter-
net users:
• Men – Male internet users are considerably more likely than female internet users to check up on
the digital footprints of their co-workers, colleagues and competitors (31% vs. 21%).
• College grads – Those with a college degree are more than three times as likely as those with a high
school degree to seek out information about work colleagues and competitors (42% vs. 13%).
• Higher income groups – 35% of internet users living in households earning $75,000 or more per
year search for the digital footprints of their co-workers and competitors, compared with just 19% of
those with a household income of $30,000 or less.
• Broadband users – 29% of internet users with broadband at home have searched for information
about their co-workers and business competitors, compared with just 12% of dial-up users.
• Wireless users – 31% of wireless internet users have searched for information about colleagues and
competitors, while only 15% of non-wireless users have done do.
• SNS users – 36% of social networking users say they have sought information about their colleagues
and competitors, compared with 17% of non-SNS users.
Nosy neighbors or just well-informed? One in five (19%) internet users say they
have searched online for information about neighbors and people in their com-
munity.
While the sources for seeking out information about our neighbors have grown, including neighborhood
listservs, sites like RottenNeighbor.com and more easily accessible information about sex offender reg-
istries, the number of internet users seeking this information has not changed significantly since 2006.
One in five internet users say they have searched for information about their neighbors or people in their
community, which is about the same as the 17% who reported this in the previous survey.
All internet users under the age of 65 are equally as likely to seek out information about their neighbors,
while just 10% of internet users over age 65 go online to search for people in their community. Other
groups who are more likely to be interested in their neighbors’ digital footprints include:
• Parents – Among online parents, 23% have searched to find information about their neighbors on
the internet, while 17% of non-parents have done this.
• Broadband users – Those with high-speed connections at home are more likely than dial-up users to
seek out information about their neighbors online (21% vs. 13%).
• Wireless users – Those with wireless connectivity are also more likely than the wire-bound to check
up on their neighbors (21% vs. 14%).
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39.
• SNS users – One in four (25%) users of social networking sites have sought information about neigh-
bors online, compared with14% of non-SNS users.
New connections inspire new searches; 19% of internet users have searched for
information about someone they just met or were about to meet for the first
time.
Overall, one in five (19%) internet users have searched online to find information about someone they
just met or were about to meet for the first time, up from 11% in 2006. One of the practical uses of
people search tools is to learn basic information about someone—such as contact information or place
of employment—either before or soon after meeting that person. However, even simple name searches
can reveal much more detail than that, including photos, videos and social media profiles. As noted in
the previous chapter, 42% of internet users say that photos of them are available online for others to
see, while 10% say they know that videos of them are available. Likewise, 46% of online adults are users
of social networking sites who have created their own profiles for others to see.
There are little or no differences across different racial and ethnic groups as well as across income cat-
egories for this question. However, several groups are notable for their tendency to seek out information
about those they have just met or are about to meet for the first time:
• Men - Online men are more likely (22%) than online women (16%) to search the internet for more
information about the new people they meet.
• Young adults – Internet users ages 18-29 are the most likely to research their new connections
online; 28% of online adults ages 18-29 conduct these searches, compared with 20% of those ages
30-49, 13% of those ages 50-64 and 4% of those ages 65 and older.
• College grads – Among internet users with a college degree, 27% search for information about new
people they meet, compared with just 13% of high school grads.
• Broadband users – Internet users with broadband at home are twice as likely as dial-up users to seek
information about new people they meet (21% vs. 9%).
• Wireless users – Wireless internet users are also twice as likely as the wire-bound to search for infor-
mation about new people they meet (22% vs. 11%).
• SNS users – Social networking users are three times as engaged with this type of searching as their
non-SNS using counterparts; 29% of SNS users search for information about people they have just
met or are about to meet, compared with just 10% of non-SNS users.
More daters now do their relationship homework online; 16% of online adults
have sought information about someone they were dating or in a relationship
with, up from 9% in 2006.
Since 2006, internet users have become more likely to search online for information about the people
they are dating or in a relationship with. One in six (16%) internet users now say they have researched
their romantic partners online, up from one in ten (9%) in the previous survey. Interestingly, online men
are just as likely as online women to search for information about those they are dating or in a rela-
tionship with. There are no differences among racial and ethnic groups and only significant differences
among the highest and lowest socioeconomic groups (with the highest income and education groups
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40.
being somewhat more likely than those with lower levels of education and income to search for informa-
tion about their romantic interests).
However, those who use online dating websites (8% of adult internet users) are twice as likely as non-
online daters to search for information about their romantic partners online (34% vs. 15%). In addition,
the following groups tend to use online tools to research their mates:
• Young adults – Internet users ages 18-29 are more likely than older users to seek information about
romantic interests online. Nearly one in three young adult users (29%) search for information about
people they are dating or in a relationship with, compared with just 6% of users ages 50-64.
• Broadband users – Users with high-speed at home are almost four times as likely as dial-up users to
seek information about romantic interests online (19% vs. 4%).
• Wireless users – Those with wireless connections are twice as likely as the wire-bound to check out
their mates online (20% vs. 9%).
• SNS users – Users of social networking sites are four times as likely as non-users to research their
romantic partners online (28% vs. 7%).
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41.
What we search for
While basic contact information continues to top searchers’ lists, demand for
social networking profiles and photos has grown considerably over time.
Looking at the 69% of internet users who have searched for information about others online, seven in
ten say they have gone online to find someone’s contact information, like an address or phone number.
This proportion is essentially the same as our 2006 survey, when 72% of those who had searched for
information about people in their lives said they had sought contact information.
By contrast, searches for social networking profiles have grown by 45% during that same period—from
33% in 2006 to 48% in 2009. Likewise, searches for photos of someone grew by 39%—from 31% to 43%.
While young adult internet users ages 18-29 are somewhat less likely than older users to search for basic
contact information, they are significantly more likely to search for social networking profiles and photos:
• Contact information: 62% of people searchers ages 18-29 say they have searched for someone’s
contact information, like an address or phone number, compared with 73% of those ages 30-49, and
74% of those ages 50-64.
• Social networking profiles: 66% of people searchers ages 18-29 say they have searched for some-
one’s profile on a social or professional networking site, while 51% of those ages 30-49 and 31% of
those ages 50-64 say this.
• Photos: 61% of people searchers ages 18-29 say they have searched for someone’s photo online,
compared with 43% of those ages 30-49 and 32% of searchers ages 50-64.
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42.
2006 2009
Someone's contact information, 72
like an address or phone number 69
33
48
31
A photo of someone
43
Info about someone's professional 37
accomplishments or interests 36
Personal background 28
info about someone 27
Someone else's public records, like 31
real estate transactions, divorce proceedings,
bankruptcies, or other legal actions 27
Information about the relationship not asked in 2006
status of someone you know 17
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
While there are no significant gender differences among those who search for contact information or
social networking profiles, men are considerably more likely than women to search for photos of people
online. Half of men who search for information about others online say they search for photos, while just
36% of female people searchers say they have searched for images of someone.
Internet users are now more likely to search for social networking profiles than
they are to search for information about someone’s professional accomplish-
ments or interests.
In the age of social media, it is now the case that a Facebook profile may get more traffic than your
resume or your bio on your employer’s website. Over time, people searchers have become more likely
to seek out social networking profiles than they are to see information about someone’s professional ac-
complishments or interests. While 37% of people searchers said they had sought this kind of information
in 2006 (making it the second-most popular kind of search), 36% reported the same in 2009 (making it
the fourth-most popular query). That compares with almost half of people searchers who say they seek
out profiles online.
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43.
Once again, men are more likely than women to initiate this kind of search; 41% of men who search
for information about others say they have looked for information about someone’s professional ac-
complishments or interests, compared with 31% of female searchers. Those who have a college degree
or live in higher income households are also more likely than those with lower levels of education or
income to conduct this kind of search.
Personal background information and public records interest one in four inter-
net users who search for information about others online.
Overall, 27% of people searchers say that they have sought personal background information about
someone online. That number is essentially the same as 2006, when 28% reported seeking background
information about someone on the internet. Similarly, 27% say they have searched for someone else’s
public records, such as real estate transactions, divorce proceedings, bankruptcies, or other legal actions.
The portion who report doing this now is slightly lower than it was in the previous survey, when 31% said
they had looked for someone’s public records online.
Searchers who are ages 30-64 are more likely than the youngest and oldest segments of internet users to
seek out public records online. While 21% of people searchers in the 18-29 age group say they have tried
to find public records about someone online, 29% of those ages 30-49 and 33% of those who are 50-64
have done so. Just 18% of searchers ages 65 and older have looked for someone’s public records online.
One in six searchers say they have gone online to find information about the
relationship status of someone they know.
Sharing information about your relationship status—whether you are single or in a relationship, for
example—has become a standard feature of many social networking profiles. However, this kind of in-
formation could also be gleaned from other sources, such as blogs, public records or publicly shared pho-
tos. Overall, 17% of internet users who seek information about others online have looked for relationship
status information about someone. Unsurprisingly, young adults are by far the most active in seeking
out relationship status information. Fully 39% of people searchers ages 18-29 have looked for someone’s
relationship status online, compared with just 13% of searchers ages 30-49, 4% of those ages 50-64 and
less than 1% of those ages 65 and older.
Those who use social networking sites—who also tend to be younger—are far more likely to say they
have specifically searched for relationship status information. One in four (27%) social networking users
who have sought information about others online say they have looked for relationship status informa-
tion, compared with just 5% of non-SNS users.
Yet, for all of the people searching internet users do online, most think that it’s
not fair to judge people based on the information they find.
As noted above, most internet users have searched for information about people in their lives. However,
when asked if they agree or disagree with the following statement, “It’s not fair to judge people based
on the information you find online,” fully 81% said they agree. Almost half (45%) say they strongly agree
with that statement, while 36% said they somewhat agree with the statement. Overall, just 14% of inter-
net users disagree, with 6% saying they strongly disagree.
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44.
Among those who search for information about others online, the results were nearly identical to those
for all internet users. Overall, 83% of people searchers said they agree that it is not fair to judge others
based on the information you find, while 45% strongly agree. Likewise, 13% disagree with that statement
and 5% strongly disagree.
Half of internet users say it bothers them that people think it’s normal to search
for information about others online.
Despite all their searching and reputation management practices, many users seem to be bothered by
their own behavior. Fully 50% of internet users agree with the following statement: “It bothers me that
people think it’s normal to search for information about others online.” About one in four (23%) say they
strongly agree with this statement, while 27% say they somewhat agree. However, four in ten internet
users (40%) disagree with this statement--13% strongly disagree, and 27% somewhat disagree.
Those who search for information about others online are less likely than non-searchers to say they are
personally bothered by the practice. Yet, 47% still agree with the statement overall, with 18% of people
searchers saying they strongly agree that they are bothered compared with 36% of non-searchers.
Internet users are divided about whether or not access to online information
about people makes the process of getting to know them easier and more mean-
ingful.
Half of internet users (48%) say they agree that “getting to know new people now is easier and more
meaningful because you can learn things online about the people you meet.” Yet, almost as many (43%)
disagree with that statement. Just 9% say they strongly agree with that statement, while 39% said they
somewhat agree. Of those who disagree that getting to know new people has been made easier because
of online information, 20% say they strongly disagree and 23% say they somewhat disagree.
Those who have searched for information about others online are more likely than non-searchers to
think that the process of getting to know new people has become easier and more meaningful. Overall,
54% of people searchers agree that getting to know people now is easier, compared with 38% of non-
searchers.
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45.
Part 4: Implications
Americans are increasingly aware that online reputation matters, but the full
scope of its influence is difficult to assess.
While more Americans are keeping tabs on their online reputations through search and social media, it is
nearly impossible to measure the full range of influence that information has on their everyday interac-
tions. Very few internet users report bad experiences due to embarrassing or inaccurate information
appearing online, but there are undoubtedly others who have been affected without realizing it. On
websites such as Openbook (www.youropenbook.org) examples abound of social media users—both
young and old—sharing information that they presumably do not realize is publicly accessible.
By the same token, there are many positive effects associated with a certain level of visibility online.
Growing numbers of internet users are leveraging the social power of the internet to reconnect with
friends from the past and far-flung family members with whom they have lost touch. Employees are
building professional reputations online and collaborating with colleagues through social media sites.
Those who are seeking romantic partners use online tools to learn more about their prospective dates.
Each of these phenomena is facilitated by some amount of information disclosure, and users are increas-
ingly forced to anticipate all of these potential audiences when making decisions about the information
they share in public and semi-public spaces online.
Young adults more actively restrict access to the information they share, but the
efficacy of these limitations is unknown.
Young adults, perhaps out of necessity, are much more active curators of their online identities when
compared with older adults. When they change privacy settings, delete tags and comments, and request
that information about them be removed, they are demonstrating a desire to exert control over the con-
tent they share and the tide of information that others post about them online. However, certain privacy
controls on social media sites have become increasingly difficult to navigate. These changes, instituted
after the data for this report was gathered, raise questions about the efficacy of users’ current efforts to
restrict access to the information posted to their profiles.
It is also the case that younger adults report a wider array of information being available about them on-
line when compared with older adults. In that sense, they have more to manage and more to limit. Older
adults may self-censor by simply choosing not to disclose certain information or engage with certain
online tools. However, the information we voluntarily share about ourselves online is only one element
of our digital footprint; the details that others share about us are much less predictable and arguably
require even greater vigilance to manage.
Reputation management is a moving target with many factors outside of a user’s
control.
When search engines alter the way they deliver search results and social media sites make successive re-
visions to privacy settings and policies, even the most attentive reputation managers may find it difficult
to keep up with all of the changes. The fact that Americans overwhelmingly feel as though it is not fair to
judge people based on the information you find about them online may be a response to these uncertain
conditions.
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46.
Methodology
This report is based on the findings of a daily tracking survey on Americans’ use of the Internet. The re-
sults in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research
International between August 18 to September 14, 2009, among a sample of 2,253 adults, 18 and older.
For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to
sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. For results based Internet us-
ers (n=1,698), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. In addition to sam-
pling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting telephone surveys may introduce
some error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.
A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples was used to represent all adults
in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. Both samples
were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC (SSI) according to PSRAI specifications. Numbers
for the landline sample were selected with probabilities in proportion to their share of listed telephone
households from active blocks (area code + exchange + two-digit block number) that contained three or
more residential directory listings. The cellular sample was not list-assisted, but was drawn through a sys-
tematic sampling from dedicated wireless 100-blocks and shared service 100-blocks with no directory-
listed landline numbers.
New sample was released daily and was kept in the field for at least five days. The sample was released
in replicates, which are representative subsamples of the larger population. This ensures that complete
call procedures were followed for the entire sample. At least 7 attempts were made to complete an
interview at sampled telephone number. The calls were staggered over times of day and days of the
week to maximize the chances of making contact with a potential respondent. Each number received at
least one daytime call in an attempt to find someone available. For the landline sample, half of the time
interviewers first asked to speak with the youngest adult male currently at home. If no male was at home
at the time of the call, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult female. For the other half of
the contacts interviewers first asked to speak with the youngest adult female currently at home. If no
female was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult male at home. For the cellular
sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. Interviewers verified that
the person was an adult and in a safe place before administering the survey. Cellular sample respondents
were offered a post-paid cash incentive for their participation. All interviews completed on any given day
were considered to be the final sample for that day.
Non-response in telephone interviews produces some known biases in survey-derived estimates because
participation tends to vary for different subgroups of the population, and these subgroups are likely
to vary also on questions of substantive interest. In order to compensate for these known biases, the
sample data are weighted in analysis. The demographic weighting parameters are derived from a special
analysis of the most recently available Census Bureau’s March 2008 Annual Social and Economic Supple-
ment. This analysis produces population parameters for the demographic characteristics of adults age
18 or older. These parameters are then compared with the sample characteristics to construct sample
weights. The weights are derived using an iterative technique that simultaneously balances the distribu-
tion of all weighting parameters.
Following on the next page is the full disposition of all sampled telephone numbers:
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